Musicians Who Have Made A Fortune From Unlikely Songwriting Credits

[the]

David Dundas (now Lord Dundas), not content with being born the son of the 3rd Marquess of Zetland and having a No. 3 hit in the 70s with Jeans On (subsequently re-recorded as an ad jingle for Brutus Jeans and later sampled by Fatboy Slim) reportedly had a per-play royalties deal with Channel 4 for his Fourscore ident jingle, which was played many times every day for well over a decade. Not only that, but he's presumably getting repeatedly paid for it again now that the note sequence has resurfaced in the current Channel 4 idents.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

As discussed over in the Toppermost of the Poppermost thread, Ed Wood's girlfriend and angora-wearing muse Dolores Fuller wrote some shitty songs for Elvis movies in the '60s. Her best effort, Rock-A-Hula Baby, featured on the Blue Hawaii soundtrack, which was one of the biggest-selling albums of the decade. Rock-A-Hula Baby was also a hit single, so she must've earned a comfortable living from it?

Also, Tom Waits' presumably vast wealth is derived from covers of his songs recorded by far more commercially successful - and 'palatable' - artists such as Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, Norah Jones and the Eagles.

[Jockice]

Well, could have been two of a few others too.... Pretenders, Squeeze, Roxy Music, err, Mike and the Mechanics?

I believe he got paid £50 for his work on the Smiths' debut album.

Morrissey and Marr ripping off other musicians eh? How long has this been going on?

[Bently Sheds]

Labi "Something Inside So Strong" Siffre is sampled by Eminem on "My Name Is" & gets a songwriting credit for that.

/pub bore mode
Hey, y'know that Chas and Dave? Them Gertcha Sideboard Rabbit blokes? Eminem backing group, mate.

[fatguyranting]

Lou Reed wrote a song on 'Music from the Elder' the doomed KISS prog-concept album that died on its arse when it was released in the 80's.

[DrGreggles]

Labi "Something Inside So Strong" Siffre is sampled by Eminem on "My Name Is" & gets a songwriting credit for that.

/pub bore mode
Hey, y'know that Chas and Dave? Them Gertcha Sideboard Rabbit blokes? Eminem backing group, mate.

It's actually this song that Enimen sampled: https://youtu.be/xKISdd2mKzU
But, yes, Chas and Dave (and possibly 'N') played as session musicians on that track.

[Better Midlands]

The Your Movie Sucks fella wrote a song that appeared on the most recent Blondie record.

Not that he needs the money, but Chuck Lorre (creator of Two And A Half Men/The Big Bang Theory) wrote French Kissng In The USA for Debbie Harry.

[kalowski]

Lou Reed wrote a song on 'Music from the Elder' the doomed KISS prog-concept album that died on its arse when it was released in the 80's.

Not sure Lou made a fortune from that.

[Absorb the anus burn]

Pete Sinfield: Land Of Make Believe by Bucks Fizz..... _{second time I've mentioned this song on here in under an hour}

[Hat FM]

Gruff rhys wrote 'honey all over' for britney spears. it didn't work out though sadly.

[pigamus]

David Dundas (now Lord Dundas), not content with being born the son of the 3rd Marquess of Zetland and having a No. 3 hit in the 70s with Jeans On (subsequently re-recorded as an ad jingle for Brutus Jeans and later sampled by Fatboy Slim) reportedly had a per-play royalties deal with Channel 4 for his Fourscore ident jingle, which was played many times every day for well over a decade. Not only that, but he's presumably getting repeatedly paid for it again now that the note sequence has resurfaced in the current Channel 4 idents.

He also did the music for Withnail and I, having owned the house Bruce Robinson and Viv MacKerrell lived in when they were all at drama school together.

[PaulTMA]

I think Bruce Johnson may have been the jammiest bastard ever, considering he managed a massive international Grammy-winning smash with 'I Write The Songs' for Barry Manilow, considering he only had a handful of songwriting credits to his name during his time with The Beach Boys.  Don't know much about his previous Bruce & Terry stuff, but nothing in the world suggests he's at any point been a prolific songwriter.  He's done very little since.  You would think that such a success would propel you into songwriting overdrive, but not for Bruce.  He even resubmitted his song 'She Believes In Love Again' from their 1985 self-titled album for their 2012 comeback album.  'I Wrote Some Songs But Generally Can't Be Bothered' would be a more fitting epitaph

[Crabwalk]

Bob Heatlie can't have made much money from the theme tunes to 'Fun House' and 'Trap Door'. And radio play has presumably dried up for the racist classic 'Japanese Boy' that he wrote for Aneka.

But co-writing 'Merry Christmas Everyone' for Chicken Shakin' Stevens must deliver a delightful cheque each year.

[Ambient Sheep]

David Dundas (now Lord Dundas) [...] reportedly had a per-play royalties deal with Channel 4 for his Fourscore ident jingle, which was played many times every day for well over a decade. Not only that, but he's presumably getting repeatedly paid for it again now that the note sequence has resurfaced in the current Channel 4 idents.

£2.36 every single time, was the figure I remember reading back in the eighties.

_{^{(Possibly also on some TV documentary, as I have a vague memory of the four notes being played before a crude old-time cash-register graphic (with appropriate sound-effect) popped up, and me thinking "Hah, but I already knew that".)}}

God knows if I've remembered that right, or even if it's still true if I have, but it's the figure I've been trotting out on this forum for eighteen years now, so I may as well carry on doing so...


EDIT: £1000 a week according to this:

David Dundas, composer of the four−note Channel 4 "theme", won a court battle to retain all rights to his creation and £1000 a week in royalties in a settlement on 12 June. (1985)

That's £143 a day which at £2.36 a go would mean 60 plays a day... so maybe I mis-remembered it on the low side!


EDIT 2: £3.50 a go according to this Digital Spy post, quoting an hour-long YouTube video that I can't be arsed to watch.  That would equate to 40 plays a day which still seems a little on the high side, assuming that £1000/week thing was true.

Then some arrogant twat comes along and says "I thought it was £2.36" and subsequently launches into an unfocussed rant about a perfectly reasonable ident.  Stupid bastard.  Although he's right inasmuch as the "Pylons" and "Diner" set were the best.

[McChesney Duntz]

Morrissey and Marr ripping off other musicians eh? How long has this been going on?

That was ace.

[Chriddof]

I've noticed in old recordings of Channel 4 that they don't play the jingle and full ident every time. Quite often they'll just fade up the "4" symbol and have the announcer speak over that. I'm sure I read somewhere - though where I honestly don't know - that they tried to restrict playing out the jingle as much as they could, to save on royalty costs.

Also, it's actually worth watching that hour-long video. (Disclosure: I support that person's Patreon, and I am a friend of theirs.)

[beanheadmcginty]

Rolf Harris received a load of the royalties for Prince Charming after it emerged that it sounds a hell of a lot like his song War Canoe.

[holyzombiejesus]

Not an obscure one at all but I still smile when I think how wealthy the Vaselines must be off the back of Nirvana covering them.

[Ambient Sheep]

Also, it's actually worth watching that hour-long video. (Disclosure: I support that person's Patreon, and I am a friend of theirs.)

Noted, I'll give it a go.  (It should be noted though that I hardly ever watch any YouTube videos, especially ones that actually require an attention span, so I meant no reflection on your friend's work.)  Hey, if it's not crystal-clear from the vid, maybe you could ask him where the £3.50 figure comes from? :-)

[Keebleman]

Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood are these days credited as co-writers of Radiohead's Creep because of the similarities it has with The Air That I Breathe, mainly in the "She's running out the door" bit.

[Satchmo Distel]

Ray Dorset wrote "Feels Like I'm In Love" for bog-croaking peanut butter glutton Elvis Presley before it was handed to Kelly Marie for he No. 1 smash with dodgy minstrel backing dancers.

The family of Ronnie Mack, who wrote "He's So Fine" but died soon afterwards (1963), have received regular royalties from 'My Sweet Lord' since George Harrison settled the plagiarism lawsuit in the late 70s.

[thecuriousorange]

I bet Nicky Wire of the Manics made a tidy few bob after writing 1994 hit Trouble for pop duo Shampoo. The single's video even promoted the Power Rangers film and it featured on the OST.

[Natnar]

Kd lang gets a writing credit on The Rolling Stone's Anybody Seen My Baby because Keith Richard's realised it sounded like Constant Craving.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Not an obscure one at all but I still smile when I think how wealthy the Vaselines must be off the back of Nirvana covering them.

Me too, it's a genuinely feelgood underdog story. Kelly and McKee could strut around Glasgow wearing gold-plated top hats if they wanted to, but that's not the done thing when you're a self-effacing twee-rock indie combo.

If Cobain had lived, he probably would've covered a BMX Bandits song at one point too. Duglas T. Stewart suddenly becoming richer than Scrooge McDuck is a lovely thought.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I bet Nicky Wire of the Manics made a tidy few bob after writing 1994 hit Trouble for pop duo Shampoo. The single's video even promoted the Power Rangers film and it featured on the OST.

Huh? Nicky Wire didn't write that.

[Satchmo Distel]

Bob Dylan makes a few bob off Adele covering 'Make You Feel My Love'

Neil Diamond - 'Red Red Wine' (UB40 via Tony Tribe)

[peanutbutter]

1950s Irish folk harpist and Benedictine nun being sampled on Sleepyhead by Passion Pit (which was briefly licensed on tons of shit) was probably a pretty weird one that gave her a nice bump (assuming she got anything at all).



What about all those guys Moby sampled on Play too? Bet they made a killing, right?

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Bob Dylan makes a few bob off Adele covering 'Make You Feel My Love'

Neil Diamond - 'Red Red Wine' (UB40 via Tony Tribe)

True, but I doubt they noticed the increase in their already ludicrously buoyant bank balances.

[CaledonianGonzo]

The unlikeliest must be Jagger & Richard(s) for Bittersweet Symphony. Half-pinched off the Staple Singers for The Last Time anyway, then got full credit on the orchestral version despite the strings bit that was sampled being written and arranged by someone else, and then 100% of the royalties off the Verve until they 'magnanimously' handed them back recently.

Allen Klein / ABKCO records are the villain here, not the Glimmer Twins.

[Bently Sheds]

It's actually this song that Enimen sampled: https://youtu.be/xKISdd2mKzU
But, yes, Chas and Dave (and possibly 'N') played as session musicians on that track.

Yes. I added "Something Inside So Strong" to Labi Siffre's name in case:
a. Somebody didn't clock who Labi Siffre was
b. Why the songwriting credit was unlikely.

Thanks.